City to Surf Sydney (City2Surf)

Sydney is full of fun, excitement and challenges. City2Surf is one such fun and exciting event that takes place in Sydney, each year.

The Sun-Herald City2Surf Sydney is an annual running competition. It's a 14km race from the Hyde Park Corner in the CBD to the Bondi Beach. This event is not only Sydney's most popular sporting event, but also the world's largest running event, participated by more than 80,000 registered runners, each year. This participation exceeds the London Marathon and New York Marathon combined. The funds collected by this race are spent on various charity programs, across Australia. In the 2013 City2Surf Sydney run, more than AUD 4 million was raised.

This event was started in 1971, with 2000 participants, and was organized by the staff of the Sydney tabloid paper - The Sun. The race was inspired by Bay to Bakers in San Francisco, USA. In 198, the Sun publication was put on hold, after which the event was taken over by the new tabloid paper - The Sun-Herald.

The race covers the suburbs of Easy Sydney, Kings Cross, Double Bay and Rose Bay, all the way to the Bondi Beach. The runners are usually received a please welcome and support by the Sydney citizens, who offer cookies, beer and water to the runners. During the race, the streets of Sydney look very festive with confetti and balloons flying around, musical bands playing in street corners and people cheering. For a tourist, this is a splendid time to get to know the Sydney citizens and their relaxed life style.

If you wish to join the race, there are several categories, depending on your physical fitness and preference. The cost of registering for the race is around AUD 75 - AUD 90 for adults and AUD 50 for children. Yes, children can join the race too. Even if you are on wheelchair or a mom carrying a toddler, you can still join the race, because in City2Surf, you don't really have to run, you can walk the entire 14km while enjoying the enchanting surrounding of Sydney. A lot of participants do that.

Macleay Hotel in Sydney is the best place to stay if you are coming to participate in City2Surf. The CBD is a short distance away from the hotel, and our staff will make the necessary arrangements for you to join the race.

On your return from Bondi Beach, free buses run to Bondi Junction train station and from there only 2 stops to Kings Cross station less than a 5 minute walk from the hotel.